Chapter 98 Planting Potatoes in Spring, Study Plan
There were still a few heads of sauerkraut left at home, but they were a bit too sour because they had been sitting for too long. Lai simply took them all out and put them in a different bowl.
All the less desirable outer layers were cut off and thrown away, leaving only the crisp, tender heart of the sauerkraut. At least a third of it was wasted in the process. But it was definitely enough for one meal, plus enough to make one batch of sauerkraut-filled buns.
After scooping everything out, Lai moved the small jar for pickling sauerkraut to the yard, washed it clean, and left it to dry in the sun. As the temperature rose day by day, it could be used to dry water for washing clothes.
While preparing the sauerkraut, Lai told Neil about how Big Yellow suddenly had puppies, which excited him so much that he ran out and squatted by the doghouse for a long time.
Big Yellow, who had just given birth, was in a bad mood, so Neil didn't dare to make any sudden moves. He just peeked inside through the crack and listened to the puppies whimpering, grinning foolishly.
Tata was choked by the smell of sauerkraut in the room and leaned against the half-open window for some fresh air, looking somewhat melancholy.
A gentle breeze swept by, carrying away a few tufts of white downy hairs.
It's shedding season again. Tata's thick winter coat is starting to fall out as the temperature rises, and she looks very unkempt now.
Ray tried to comb his fur, but Tata was too protective of his fur and would run away whenever he saw Ray with a comb, so the plan was abandoned.
Although the food here is decent and there's a warm place to stay, Tata can't help but think of her mother's warm belly from time to time when she's free.
He turned his gaze to Lai, who was busy preparing dinner.
The human promised to let him return to the Great Forest of Eton to find his parents, hoping he would keep his promise.
After dinner, Lai and Neil sat on small stools and chopped potatoes in the living room.
A large bag of potatoes was used to cut out several large baskets of potato seedlings after removing the ones that hadn't sprouted and kept for our own consumption.
Half a bag was given to Yilu, and the remaining two baskets were all planted on their own land.
"Brother, aren't we planting the sweet potatoes together?"
"Plant some first, to make vermicelli. The sweet potatoes we saved at home aren't very sweet, so I'll go get some sweeter ones to plant."
"good!"
The living room became very quiet, with only the sound of potatoes being chopped.
Rye was thinking about modern greenhouses and all sorts of convenient tools, while Neil was busy chopping potatoes, trying his best to help Rye with as much work as possible.
“Neil”.
"What's wrong, brother?"
Is glass expensive here?
"I don't know, but it's more expensive than paper."
Lei nodded.
His seemingly random remark left Neil unsure of its meaning, but he didn't ask any further questions.
Actually, Lai was thinking about the feasibility of building a glass greenhouse. Although there's no plastic here, building a sunroom with glass isn't out of the question, but the cost would be quite high.
"well......"
Lei sighed.
Money is indeed a big problem.
Since waking up, I've saved up only twenty-six gold coins, including the first few coins I had, the ones I earned from setting up my stall, and the ones given to me by Temuqi, after deducting my expenses over the past six months.
The cost of starting a small business is certainly enough, but it cannot withstand any risk; one wrong move and the whole business is lost.
Those who rely on the weather for their livelihood are inevitably subject to natural disasters or man-made calamities. If they are unlucky enough to encounter a bad year and there is no harvest, how will they survive without money?
Given the current situation, it would be more prudent to save the money, engage in low-risk, low-cost transactions first, and then pursue other ideas.
Daily expenses are quite high these days. A large portion of that is spent each month on meat for Tata.
Mu always gave Lai a discount when he bought meat, but even that couldn't keep up with such frequent purchases.
Tata, this little monster, is like a bottomless pit. He eats all day and doesn't move much, yet he doesn't gain much weight, and his appetite is even gradually increasing.
Ray has decided to gradually replace commercially prepared meat with the game he hunts himself as Tata's staple food.
Furthermore, Ray intended to send Neil to the boarding school in town. The monthly cost there was equivalent to half a semester's tuition in the village, but Neil would learn much more.
Before the accident, Victor and his wife had intended to send Neil to town and had already made contact with someone, but the unexpected event disrupted all their plans...
Rye considered that the number of people Neil could come into contact with in the village was limited, while the school in town would allow Neil to meet all sorts of people, which would be very helpful for his personal growth.
Even if all you get from spending money is a good learning environment, it's still worth it.
Although Neil lacks magical talent, that does not prevent him from becoming an excellent knight like his deceased father, and he deserves a better educational environment.
At the same time, sending Neil to boarding school will allow him to explore more freely.
"Brother, everything's done!"
"Okay, go wash your hands and go to bed."
"Okay, brother, you should get some rest too."
"Um."
Neil took the candle upstairs, while Ray continued the finishing touches downstairs.
The next day, Lai carried potato seedlings to the barren mountain and met Iru at the foot of the mountain. He only asked Iru for a symbolic copper coin as payment for the half-sack of potatoes.
"Plant them as soon as you get them home; now is the best season for planting. Make sure the eyes are facing upwards and that the two potato pieces are about a foot apart."
"Okay, thank you, Lei."
Yilu nodded repeatedly, noting down the key points of planting.
"besides."
Lei took out an energy stone.
"Could you please keep an eye out for this kind of rock when you go out?
"well."
Iru carefully examined the energy stone that Lai had handed him.
It is dark brown all over and looks rather plain on the outside, but when viewed in sunlight, it will show a beautiful orange-yellow color. It is very clear and there is not a single impurity inside.
He vaguely remembered seeing this kind of stone inside Eton Forest, but he couldn't remember where. He chose to keep quiet and bury this inaccurate information in his heart.
"I guarantee I will complete the task you assigned."
Yilu looked serious and made a firm promise.
"Don't treat this as an order or task. Just look for it in your spare time."
"good."
Despite saying that, Iru still kept it firmly in mind.
After a brief exchange, Lai left the barren mountain and went home to grow potatoes.
The vegetable garden has more than doubled in size due to recent land reclamation. Lai plans to keep the two rows along the edge to plant sunflowers, which will not only block the villagers' view but also provide sunflower seeds for drying in the fall.
He planted the cut potatoes about ten centimeters apart on the third row of the remaining land.
Dig holes, plant potatoes, water them, and cover them with soil.
After a busy day, we finally planted all the prepared potato seedlings in the ground.
He planted four and a half rows of potatoes and one and a half rows of sweet potatoes all by himself.
I'm so tired I feel completely exhausted.
The physical labor was secondary; the main problem was having to bend over and press each potato into the hole, maintaining that bent-over posture the whole time, which was quite strenuous.
Determined not to dirty the room, Lai washed her hands and feet, took off her clothes, and fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was just getting dark, making it hard to tell if it was evening or dawn. Rae yawned, put on his clothes, and left the room.
On the living room table was a bowl of cold dumpling soup. He lit a candle and ate it by the candlelight.
"Brother, you're awake?"
Neil came downstairs when he heard the noise. Although he had changed into his pajamas, he was clearly still awake.
"Hmm. What time is it now?"
It's evening.
Have you eaten?
"have eaten."
Neil sat obediently by the chair, answering questions as he watched Lai finish the whole bowl of dumpling soup with the side dishes, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Brother, why did you finish all the work? Didn't we agree to wait for me to come back and do it together?"
"It's nothing, just a small job."
"Brother, I'll work harder when making vermicelli next time."
"good."
Ray washed the dishes and put them back on the shelf, with Neil following closely behind him.
"Brother, what should we plant next?"
"Garlic, scallions, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, and some green beans."
"We can't possibly eat all of this, so where are we going to sell it?"
"I plan to go to the early market in town to sell my vegetables before they ripen in other people's fields."
We're planting early-maturing varieties now, so once this batch is sold, we can plant the next one. I've already heard good news. Although growing and selling vegetables is hard work, the profits will definitely be good.
Lai had also considered selling other things, such as hot pot base. But butter, one of the raw materials, was a big problem.
Cattle are currently the primary means of production, and beef production is not very high. Only in orc settlements are they raised in large quantities for the daily consumption of the tribe.
As a modern person who had only recently settled here, Lai's only connection with the beastmen was Mu. However, Mu had left the tribe many years ago and had even married a human woman.
Moreover, there's the issue of preservation that needs to be considered when preparing hot pot broth.
Lai also considered making soap, a skill she learned in her craft class.
But they figured it out long ago, it's just that most of the users are upper-class people.
There are also lower-end soaps on the market, but compared to soaps that require money to buy, ordinary people will still choose soap beans that are readily available everywhere.
Tofu is worth a try; as the saying goes, "tofu is made with brine." We have plenty of soybeans, but grinding them into a smooth and creamy soy milk is a big challenge.
The costs involved were difficult to calculate, so Lai ultimately decided to start with the simplest approach: growing and selling vegetables. Based on his experience selling wild chestnuts last year, the market in Rosen Town seemed quite large.
They live on their own land, and all they need to do is work to reap the rewards. The small mountain village doesn't seem very wealthy overall, which is definitely largely due to the lack of accessible mountain roads.
"Go to bed early, you'll have a lot to do later. Do you remember what I said?"
"Remember, going to bed early and waking up early is good for your health, helps you grow taller and stay healthy."
"Okay, go ahead."
Neil slowly stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then asked his question.
He felt there was nothing to hide from his brother, and his brother had told him about the family's current financial situation in detail.
"Brother, are you really planning to send me to a boarding school in town next semester?"
Lei nodded firmly.
"Can I not go? I can't bear to leave you."
"Can't."
Lei patiently explained.
“You are 13 years old this year. In principle, you should have gone there to study at the age of 12. Going there now is already a year too late.”
You can learn so much more there. I can't predict what the future holds, but sending you away to study now is definitely the right thing to do.
"But it's so expensive there..."
Neil's voice grew softer and softer, and Ray understood Neil's concerns, so he continued to reassure him.
"This is a problem for adults to consider; children shouldn't overthink things. Don't you trust your brother's abilities?"
Neil shook his head vigorously.
He had never seen so many gold coins in his life.
"But......"
"But what?"
Ray looked at Neil encouragingly. It was very good that he could now openly express his thoughts and needs; it was a qualitative leap compared to when he first woke up.
"Brother, I don't want to leave you."
"You can rest for three days every ten days. I will pick you up and take you home then, and I will visit you often, sweetie."
Ray patted Neil on the head.
"Oh well."
Neil was still somewhat reluctant, but he did not go against Ray's decision.
Ray breathed a sigh of relief. If Neil really refused to go to school in town, he absolutely couldn't bring himself to force him. He could only think of some other solutions.
"Go upstairs and go to sleep."
Goodnight, brother.
"good evening."
Neil returned to the second floor.
Lei was still sitting in the living room, writing and drawing on a notebook intermittently, as if he was recording something.
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Author's Note: Yoyo, a heartwarming message from a little devil in the melon patch, please check it out.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:43:47 on November 21, 2023 and 22:47:18 on December 2, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qingge (10 bottles); PING (7 bottles); Zhiye Wuya (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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